Fallen Green Beret's daughter joins SOWF

Dalia Munoz is pictured with her father, Pedro and mother, Gisela.

SPECIAL TO THE RED 7

By WENDY BOURLAND / Special Operations Warrior Foundation

Published: Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 12:05 PM.

Dalia Munoz, who joined the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in October of 2013, brings her knowledge and personal experiences to her new position as Financial Aid Officer.
Not only is Dalia a recent college graduate, she is also a SOWF scholarship recipient.
Army SFC Pedro A. Munoz, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), lost his life on Jan. 2, 2005 at age 47, while he was deployed to Afghanistan.
Like so many special operations families, Dalia and her mom, Gisela, were thrust into an emotional vortex and a long journey of recovering from their loss.

Since joining the SOWF staff, Dalia, 25, has been busy assisting students with budgeting and funding, registering for classes that begin in January, sending information packets to students in high school, and reaching out to potential recipients and their surviving parents, to inform or remind them that Warrior Foundation college scholarships are available.
In addition to visiting special operations units across the country to spread the word about the SOWF’s programs, the four-person Family Services team is traveling to areas with large concentrations of current and future scholarship recipients, to meet with them face-to-face and determine what type of support they need, which is easier to do in person than on the phone.
“The process of applying for college can be overwhelming, but we are here to make sure our students transition into this journey without the financial burden,” said Dalia.
“I understand the challenges and difficulties our students face because I have walked in their shoes,” she explained. “It is my job to help them overcome obstacles, cheer them on, and encourage them in any way I can.”

A native of Puerto Rico, SFC Munoz had a well-earned reputation for being as fit, or more so, than Soldiers half his age. Not only did he insist on being held to the standards for troops 18 to 23 years old, he consistently met or exceeded them.
He received an award for being ranked number one in physical strength among the students in his Warrior Leader Course class at Ft. Bragg, NC.
Even so, the Green Beret stunned some members of the Army’s Golden Knights parachute demonstration team when he not only tried out for, but was accepted into, the team in his 40s, which was virtually unheard of.
Dalia carries a wallet-sized photo of her dad in Army physical training gear, and also has a framed picture of him on her desk, next to her computer.

After four years with the Golden Knights, in response to the terror attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, SFC Munoz returned to Special Forces duty in 2002.

Despite being fired upon and struck, SFC Munoz was able to kill his assailant without harming the non-combatant women and children his patrol encountered while searching a compound for a mid-level Taliban leader.
His actions allowed his fellow Green Berets to successfully clear the compound.
SFC Munoz died from his injuries later that day.
The first member of his unit to be killed in action after 9-11, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. He was also awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor device.

In addition to his patriotism, SFC Munoz was known for his caring nature, and earned the Spanish nickname “Papi” for being a father figure to junior Soldiers, who would turn to him for advice and support.
His peers respected and trusted him, his seniors praised the example he set, and his friends appreciated his enthusiasm for life and his loyalty.
A bust of SFC Pedro Munoz was created for the Golden Knights’ 50th anniversary in 2009, and dedicated in a ceremony at Ft. Bragg on March 16 of that year.

Before joining the SOWF, Dalia served as an executive director of the non-profit Honor the Fallen Foundation from 2010 to 2011.
In 2012, she graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., with a bachelor’s degree, majoring in Religion and minoring in Spanish, then moved back home to Fayetteville, which is home to Ft. Bragg.
Not long after, Dalia was hired by government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton as a Special Forces Language Training Test Score Analyst, working with the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group. While she really enjoyed it, she could not pass up the opportunity to join the SOWF and interact with other Warrior Foundation scholarship recipients like herself.
“The mission of the SOWF is dear to my heart,” Dalia says. “I truly believe in what we do.”

While she loves the contact with SOWF families, the nature of Dalia’s job means that she repeatedly thinks back to her father’s death.
“You have several different experiences and emotions on a daily basis,” she says.
“When we get the notifications of those who are wounded or killed in action, I know the timeline of what the families are going through.
“I remember the doorbell ringing. I remember my mom screaming.”

Children and spouses of Special Operations Forces Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are part of a very private, tight-knit community.
Every time SFC Munoz would leave on deployment, he would tell Dalia, who was his only child, “to take care of Mommy, and lock the doors.”
Dalia and Gisela were devastated by his death. They struggled for a while, then sought mother/daughter counseling, which helped both of them tremendously.
But you never forget the loss of a parent, and nine years later, Dalia says, “I still have my moments. I still cry sometimes.”

Coping with her grief and successfully completing college on a Special Operations Warrior Foundation scholarship makes Dalia uniquely qualified to help other young men and women whose military parents gave their lives in service to our nation.
“The best thing I can do is honor their sacrifice,” she says, adding that she does her best to impress upon future scholarship recipients in particular, “this is an opportunity that cannot be wasted!”

During trips to special operations commands, Dalia finds that the personnel are very interested to hear about what the SOWF does, since the foundation provides a service that can help ease the minds of warriors heading off to training, operations or combat – each with its dangers.
When she visited the 7th Special Forces Group – SFC Munoz’s former unit – in Fort Walton Beach back in November, Dalia met Soldiers who shared stories about her dad that she had never heard, and told her they were pleased to see what she is doing now.
The battalion first sergeant, Dalia said, told her that the way she and Gisela worked through their grief and its aftermath, “has really been something for the other spouses to look up to.”
While Dalia didn’t set out to be a role model, she now considers it an unspoken part of her duty at the SOWF.
“I feel like it is my job to be that for other families,” she says.

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Dalia Munoz, who joined the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in October of 2013, brings her knowledge and personal experiences to her new position as Financial Aid Officer.
Not only is Dalia a recent college graduate, she is also a SOWF scholarship recipient.
Army SFC Pedro A. Munoz, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), lost his life on Jan. 2, 2005 at age 47, while he was deployed to Afghanistan.
Like so many special operations families, Dalia and her mom, Gisela, were thrust into an emotional vortex and a long journey of recovering from their loss.

Since joining the SOWF staff, Dalia, 25, has been busy assisting students with budgeting and funding, registering for classes that begin in January, sending information packets to students in high school, and reaching out to potential recipients and their surviving parents, to inform or remind them that Warrior Foundation college scholarships are available.
In addition to visiting special operations units across the country to spread the word about the SOWF’s programs, the four-person Family Services team is traveling to areas with large concentrations of current and future scholarship recipients, to meet with them face-to-face and determine what type of support they need, which is easier to do in person than on the phone.
“The process of applying for college can be overwhelming, but we are here to make sure our students transition into this journey without the financial burden,” said Dalia.
“I understand the challenges and difficulties our students face because I have walked in their shoes,” she explained. “It is my job to help them overcome obstacles, cheer them on, and encourage them in any way I can.”

A native of Puerto Rico, SFC Munoz had a well-earned reputation for being as fit, or more so, than Soldiers half his age. Not only did he insist on being held to the standards for troops 18 to 23 years old, he consistently met or exceeded them.
He received an award for being ranked number one in physical strength among the students in his Warrior Leader Course class at Ft. Bragg, NC.
Even so, the Green Beret stunned some members of the Army’s Golden Knights parachute demonstration team when he not only tried out for, but was accepted into, the team in his 40s, which was virtually unheard of.
Dalia carries a wallet-sized photo of her dad in Army physical training gear, and also has a framed picture of him on her desk, next to her computer.

After four years with the Golden Knights, in response to the terror attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, SFC Munoz returned to Special Forces duty in 2002.

Despite being fired upon and struck, SFC Munoz was able to kill his assailant without harming the non-combatant women and children his patrol encountered while searching a compound for a mid-level Taliban leader.
His actions allowed his fellow Green Berets to successfully clear the compound.
SFC Munoz died from his injuries later that day.
The first member of his unit to be killed in action after 9-11, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. He was also awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor device.

In addition to his patriotism, SFC Munoz was known for his caring nature, and earned the Spanish nickname “Papi” for being a father figure to junior Soldiers, who would turn to him for advice and support.
His peers respected and trusted him, his seniors praised the example he set, and his friends appreciated his enthusiasm for life and his loyalty.
A bust of SFC Pedro Munoz was created for the Golden Knights’ 50th anniversary in 2009, and dedicated in a ceremony at Ft. Bragg on March 16 of that year.

Before joining the SOWF, Dalia served as an executive director of the non-profit Honor the Fallen Foundation from 2010 to 2011.
In 2012, she graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., with a bachelor’s degree, majoring in Religion and minoring in Spanish, then moved back home to Fayetteville, which is home to Ft. Bragg.
Not long after, Dalia was hired by government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton as a Special Forces Language Training Test Score Analyst, working with the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group. While she really enjoyed it, she could not pass up the opportunity to join the SOWF and interact with other Warrior Foundation scholarship recipients like herself.
“The mission of the SOWF is dear to my heart,” Dalia says. “I truly believe in what we do.”

While she loves the contact with SOWF families, the nature of Dalia’s job means that she repeatedly thinks back to her father’s death.
“You have several different experiences and emotions on a daily basis,” she says.
“When we get the notifications of those who are wounded or killed in action, I know the timeline of what the families are going through.
“I remember the doorbell ringing. I remember my mom screaming.”

Children and spouses of Special Operations Forces Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are part of a very private, tight-knit community.
Every time SFC Munoz would leave on deployment, he would tell Dalia, who was his only child, “to take care of Mommy, and lock the doors.”
Dalia and Gisela were devastated by his death. They struggled for a while, then sought mother/daughter counseling, which helped both of them tremendously.
But you never forget the loss of a parent, and nine years later, Dalia says, “I still have my moments. I still cry sometimes.”

Coping with her grief and successfully completing college on a Special Operations Warrior Foundation scholarship makes Dalia uniquely qualified to help other young men and women whose military parents gave their lives in service to our nation.
“The best thing I can do is honor their sacrifice,” she says, adding that she does her best to impress upon future scholarship recipients in particular, “this is an opportunity that cannot be wasted!”

During trips to special operations commands, Dalia finds that the personnel are very interested to hear about what the SOWF does, since the foundation provides a service that can help ease the minds of warriors heading off to training, operations or combat – each with its dangers.
When she visited the 7th Special Forces Group – SFC Munoz’s former unit – in Fort Walton Beach back in November, Dalia met Soldiers who shared stories about her dad that she had never heard, and told her they were pleased to see what she is doing now.
The battalion first sergeant, Dalia said, told her that the way she and Gisela worked through their grief and its aftermath, “has really been something for the other spouses to look up to.”
While Dalia didn’t set out to be a role model, she now considers it an unspoken part of her duty at the SOWF.
“I feel like it is my job to be that for other families,” she says.